Published at 11:08, Thursday, 19 April 2012

A LORRY driver who knocked out a man in a pub for no apparent reason has walked free from court.

Douglas Taylor, 25, was spared an immediate jail term after a judge at Carlisle Crown Court heard that he was in every other way a diligent and hard-working man.

Alan Lovett, prosecuting, told how the defendant was chatting with a friend at Cap’n Senny’s pub in Whitehaven on December 4 when he launched an unprovoked attack on Anthony Douglas, punching him so hard that he knocked him out.

The court was shown CCTV of the attack, which showed how other drinkers had to intervene to prevent Taylor continuing the assault.

Mr Lovett said the victim was left with scarring to his face and a perforated eardrum, now healed.

“The defendant was interviewed and in his initial account said he had nothing to do with this matter. It was then put to him that there was CCTV and he changed his position to suggest that he had been punched first.

“When shown the CCTV, which showed that Mr Douglas had been standing with his hands in his pockets, he said he feared he was going to be attacked.”

Taylor, of Irish Street, Whitehaven, later told police he had drunk six or seven bottles of lager at home; four or five pints in the pub; and a similar number of vodkas.

Yet he had put himself as four or five on a drunkenness scale of one to 10.

Greg Hoare, for Taylor, who admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, said his client must have been drunk.

“By and large, this is a hard-working, decent man and in all respects a perfectly decent citizen and for whatever reason on that night his usual good judgement deserted him,” he said.

He added jail would have had a disproportionately damaging effect on his life.

Recorder Kevin Grice told Taylor that his behaviour on that night had been inexplicable, as his victim presented no threat to him.

He told Taylor: “You are a hard-working, diligent man, with responsibilities. You have put at risk with that blow everything that your life currently stands for.”

The judge imposed a 10-month jail term, suspended for 18 months.

He also imposed 150 hours’ unpaid work and ordered that Taylor pay his victim £1,250 compensation, as well as £1,200 court costs.

He added: “I warn you Douglas Taylor: if you lose control in this way again there will be no alternative but to sentence you immediately to prison.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk